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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rest — a break
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chair — a leader
  8. current — electric
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bore — to drill
  17. current — happening now
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. current — of water
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com